Vibrant Brushstrokes of Faith and Friendship

Religious artist shares sacred experiences depicting life of Christ

In December 2009, Juliette Qureshi, a local member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reached into her mailbox and withdrew a copy of the Ensign magazine. The cover artwork took her breath away and her eyes filled with tears. The piece depicted Mary and Joseph’s flight into Egypt with the toddler Jesus. The child is enclosed in the cocoon of his mother’s veil as she sits upon a donkey led by Joseph, hastening away from Herod’s murderous decree. The warm golden scene was both stirring and soothing and unlike anything Qureshi had seen in religious art. 

The painter was Rose Datoc Dall, and a few months later, geographic lines were redrawn to place the women in the same congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ashburn, Virginia. Whether singing in the choir, teaching a gospel lesson, or accompanying on the piano, “Rose used her talents to bless and serve others,” says Qureshi. “She is a true Renaissance woman; beyond painting, sculpture, music, and intellect, she’s an accomplished seamstress, photographer, and videographer.”

Dall was classically trained at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU Arts) in Richmond, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art History and Fine Art Studio in 1990. A Filipina American, Dall is known for her distinctive use of vibrant color and light. Her most iconic works are her devotional pieces on the life of the Savior. Her use of line, movement, and design has three times earned her Purchase Award Winner of the International Art Competition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

Linda Kopf, now a resident of Southlake, also attended that Virginia congregation. When Dall planned for the production of her paintings of the women disciples and the garden tomb, she approached Kopf to model as Mary Magdalene, the first person Jesus appeared to after breaking the bands of death. Kopf was both humbled and honored. 

She recalls the first time she went to the studio. Rose dressed her in a robe and veil, but before picking up a brush, pencil, or camera, they knelt together. “I remember the feelings I had as Rose prayed. She asked for the Holy Spirit to attend them, and that my personal love for the Savior would be reflected in my expression,” says Kopf. “I have never forgotten her dependence on the Spirit in the creation of her art.”

Today, Qureshi and Kopf live in North Texas. Several of Dall’s pieces hang in their homes. Kopf serves as the president of the women’s organization over nine congregations in Colleyville, Keller, Southlake, and Grapevine. When asked to take on this responsibility, Kopf thought and prayed about what she wanted to communicate to the women in the area. 

“Above all, I want them to feel how much the Savior loves them, and how much he loves the women of the world,” says Kopf. As she has met with, counseled, taught, worked, and prayed with local women, Kopf says she has experienced “a glimpse of what they mean to the Lord.”

On a trip to Southlake this month, Kopf arranged for the Rose Datoc Dall to speak about her decades of studying, drawing, painting, and pondering the life of Jesus. Dall shared stories of working with hundreds of models and the impact it has had on their lives and hers.

“I’ve been exposed to the miraculous love the Savior has for all of us,” says Dall. “It’s been a privilege to depict the beautiful relationships Jesus had–-and continues to have–-with his faithful female disciples.”

Several of Dall’s works are part of the permanent collection at ‪the LDS Church History Museum, Brigham Young University, Southern Virginia University, LDS temples, and in mural form in the Mesa, Arizona Temple Visitors Center. Her work is featured in books, magazines, and this coming December’s Liahona cover & interior. The artist’s studio and process can be seen in BYUTV’s latest episode of Artful.